Clash
by Stony22
Summary: Bruce Wayne meets with Tony Stark to discuss a philanthropic opportunity, only to be shot down by Tony, who holds a grudge against him. The two can't stand each other, but what happens when the greater good supersedes their negative feelings towards each other? A prompt from MayoAmor22. Written in an AU where Gotham City exists in the same realm as New York City.
1. Chapter 1

"Are you going to apologize, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked as the two flew on Bruce's private jet to New York City.

"No, I didn't do anything wrong. Mister Stark should have been more responsible," Bruce responded flatly, looking out the window as they approached the massive city.

"Well, if you're going to do business with him, I suggest you make amends, sir. I'm sure that what you said in the press conference was very insulting, and I certainly wouldn't want to help you if you treated me that way," Alfred replied with wisdom, attempting to get Bruce to admit his folly.

"I meant what I said, and if I apologized it would mean nothing," Bruce said emotionlessly, feeling relieved when the two finally reached their destination.

Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and several of Tony's business partners, assistants, and advisors were waiting for Bruce and Alfred at the airport terminal. Steve and Tony were holding hands, the genius flaunting his prime catch for everyone in the airport to see. Bruce couldn't stand the way Tony carried himself in public; he thought he was a pathetic man who only cared about how much controversy he could stir up on any given day. He hated the fact that he was willing to leave Gotham City for several nights in hope that Tony would sponsor the Wayne Foundation, which needed all of the assistance it could get. The businessman wanted the charity to thrive, and it took big bucks to keep it running at peak efficiency.

"So, I suppose we should get this over with. Take Alfred and Bruce's bags to the hotel," Tony barked at two of his assistants as he snapped his fingers.

One of his assistants, a tall, lanky brunette with legs that never seemed to end, led Alfred out of the terminal. The other man, who was a short, muscular redhead with veins popping out on every inch of his body grabbed Bruce and Alfred's bags, taking care not to manhandle their suit-cases.

Tony motioned for Bruce to follow him out of the terminal, and soon he, Steve, and all of Tony's other guests piled into his massive limousine. The vehicle could have comfortably seated twenty people, though thankfully there were only ten people occupying the space. Bruce was not fond of being in large crowds, so he was content that he didn't have to sit close to anyone.

"Come on, loosen up, Bruce. You look like you've got a stick shoved up your ass! Want a drink?" Tony exclaimed as he took a sip of scotch from a clear glass with "Stark Industries" plastered on it.

"Leave him alone, Tony. He had a long flight, and I'm sure he's tired," Steve said empathetically, understanding that the businessman was already tired of dealing with Tony.

Even Steve knew that Tony could be a handful and had a difficult time dealing with him from time to time, but he was the only person who could truly stay by his side no matter what. Bruce felt bad for Steve; it made him sad that the man who was truly everything American could settle for someone who only wanted booze, popularity, and sex.

Bruce sighed, ignoring Tony's comment. He didn't want to speak until it was absolutely necessary. The genius' voice alone was enough to give Bruce a headache, and he certainly didn't want to listen to it until the two struck a business deal.

When they arrived at the conference room in Tony's tower, he carefully observed his surroundings. The room was large with glass windows all around, the walls were silver, and the floor was made of sleek, black tile. The long, oval table was made of glass and had black metal legs, and the chairs matched perfectly. There were twenty seats at the table, though they only needed seven; one for Bruce, one for Steve, one for Tony, three for the billionaire's business partners, and one for his advisor.

"So, what do you want?" Tony demanded as he crossed his arms and looked intently at the businessman.

"As you know, I am running the Wayne Foundation, which helps provide medical care, access to the arts, and education to those in need. It is an expensive operation to run; as you know Gotham City is not exactly up to par in dealing with these issues," Bruce answered calmly, showing no signs of how he was feeling at that given moment.

"Save the spiel, I know what it's about. It's a great foundation and a great idea, I'll give you that. But why should I help you?" Tony replied in a snarky tone of voice as his boyfriend glared at him in disapproval.

"You're being impolite, Tony. That's not how we treat a guest, especially someone who is making an important proposition. Now continue, sir," Steve said, ignoring Tony, who was rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"You see, there are not a lot of people in Gotham who are willing to donate to the foundation, so I am looking for philanthropy elsewhere. You support a lot of non-profit organizations, and I believe that my foundation would be perfect to sponsor," the businessman explained, focusing his attention on Tony.

"You know what? I'm not going to help you. Why would I help someone who talked shit about me on national television? Pissing off Iron Man isn't exactly a good idea…" Tony growled, letting his irritation get the better of him.

"I didn't talk 'shit', Tony. I pointed out the fact that you told the entire world that you are indeed Iron Man, and I personally feel that it wasn't the best move," Bruce responded, still giving no indication of what his emotions were.

"Why the fuck not? I help people, so what's the problem? I've been a big name in the world for years, and why not have a little P.R. from saving New York every now and again? At least people know who I am. It's not like that stupid 'Batboy' that runs around in your city, causing problems for everyone," Tony hissed as Steve gently stroked his left hand in an attempt to soothe him.

"He goes by Batman, from what I've been told. I believe it's a good thing that he doesn't reveal his identity; he's protecting the people he loves and ensuring that they aren't injured on his account," Bruce responded with a small trace of agitation in his voice.

"That's a load of shit. Think about it. Someone's going to find out his real identity eventually, and when they do his family won't know what hit them. Since they have no idea that he's Batman, how are they supposed to prepare for an act of violence against them?" the genius replied, raising his voice in anger.

"He probably told at least a few people who are close to him in case something goes wrong. But it's best to keep your identity a secret from the population at large, in my opinion. After a while, many will expect you to help them at every beck and call, even if the problem does not require attention from a 'hero', such as yourself," Bruce stated as he returned to his emotionless demeanor.

"You have a point, Mister Wayne. Several times Tony's been called upon to get some people's cats out of trees. Or help with that big garbage spill that happened the other day. Not to mention that time when the mayor called you in hope that you'd kill a mouse he found in his office…" Steve said as a small smirk spread on his face.

"Shut the fuck up, Steve! You're supposed to be on MY side… I'm done with this meeting. Have a great fucking day, Bruce. My driver, Happy, will take you back to your hotel," Tony said harshly as he grabbed his boyfriend by the hand and quickly led him out of the room.

_He's even more of a tool than I thought… So much for his 'philanthropy', _Bruce thought to himself as he sat in silence, becoming slightly uncomfortable with the death glares that Tony's business partners and advisor were giving him.


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't understand how he can be considered a philanthropist if he won't help children…" Bruce grumbled as he paced back and forth in the hotel room, avoiding eye contact with Alfred.

"Did you apologize for your disrespectful comments like I suggested?" Alfred asked from a firm, dark blue egg chair, looking up from his newspaper to stare at the businessman.

"No, of course not," Bruce stated bluntly, not willing to admit that it would have been the best option.

"You have watched him intently on television the past few years, Master Wayne. He is an intelligent man who enjoys making it well-known to the public, is stubborn and refuses to change for anyone, and has billions of dollars to spend on anything he pleases. Mister Stark certainly sounds a lot like someone I know," the butler said with a smirk as he continued his reading.

"I am nothing like him. Just because I am willing to share my opinions and defend them, sleep with women from time to time and was left a fortune means nothing," the playboy retorted defensively, insulted by what his butler was implying.

"You just reinforced what I stated, Master Wayne," Alfred replied nonchalantly, continuing to smile at Bruce's reaction.

"How could I have possibly done that? I just said that I'm not like him…" Bruce responded in agitation, halting his pacing to look closely at the butler.

"I never mentioned who Mister Stark reminded me of, sir. You immediately assumed it was you Master Wayne, which simply suggests that you have given thought to the idea that you are, in many ways, like him," Alfred responded calmly, returning the businessman's gaze.

Bruce, having no idea what to say, left the room and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He definitely had compared himself to Tony many times, and he always concluded that they shared many of the same traits. It frustrated Bruce to no end that people could compare the two men with ease, and that much of it was his own fault. He knew he shouldn't have called Tony out on his cocky and open attitude about being Iron Man, but the issue struck a major cord with him. Bruce didn't feel that Tony could do his best to protect people and play the role of a hero diligently by being out in the open for everyone to see. Intelligent villains could figure out how to replicate the technology; that had been made very clear in the past with the whole Whiplash fiasco.

The businessman dried his face off with a towel, and took some time to admire the hotel room. It was very artistic; the walls were a deep red, and the floor was made of black, soft carpet. The walls were adorned with original Piet Mondrian compositions, the reds in the painting complementing the walls nicely. There were two king size beds; the sheets were black and the pillows had the same design as the Mondrian prints. There was even a sixty inch flat screen television on the wall facing the beds. The room made Bruce feel as if he was in a world-renowned art museum, and even though he missed the gothic style of his mansion it was nice to see a different architectural vision come to life.

"I'm surprised that Stark was nice enough to pay for a hotel room for us to stay in, and a nice one at that," Bruce said as he hopped onto the bed closest to the door and turned on the television.

"Mister Stark actually owns this hotel, and Mister Rogers helped him decorate this suite. This is the best room in the entire facility," Alfred replied, not bothering to look away from his newspaper.

Bruce sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his left thumb and index finger, irritated with himself for not putting the pieces together. He should have known that Tony would show off in any way he could, especially if it involved spending mass sums of money to do it.

Before Bruce could even relax and enjoy the comfort of the soft mattress, the city's news station had a new, developing story that shocked him more than anything had in ages.

"Breaking news: Captain America, leader of the superhero team, The Avengers, has been kidnapped and is being kept in unknown whereabouts. We have received a video from the kidnapper himself," a blonde news anchor with a smooth, calming voice said, introducing the video clip.

The hero was chained up to a dark grey wall, his arms, legs, and midsection held snugly by large, iron bars. He was blindfolded, gagged with a large strip of cloth, and blood was trickling down his head. The super-soldier was still in the neatly pressed suit that Bruce had seen him in earlier, only it was now stained with blood. It appeared Steve was being held captive in an old subway station or down in a sewer, but Bruce was not completely certain.

The kidnapper stood proudly next to the super-soldier's restricted and battered body, looking as if he had won a gold medal. He was well over six feet tall and had beautiful long hair the color of red bricks. His eyes were emerald green, he had a pointy upturned nose, and his chin came to a point. The man had a lean build that was easily observed through his skin-tight, dull yellow v-neck t-shirt. He had a gray, unbuttoned jacket on and gray jeans to match. He had a wild look in his eyes, and Bruce could tell immediately that he wasn't quite right in the head.

"Hello, citizens of New York City, my name is Nate. Do you see who I have here? That's right, it's your precious Star Spangled hero. I may kill him, and I may not; I haven't quite decided yet. It would be pretty amazing to be the man who single-handedly kills America's most beloved man… But I think I'll hold off for a little while. Come and find me, Tony Stark, if you want your dear, sweet, boy-toy back. I'll be waiting for you with a smile and open arms. And when you come, bring the schematics for your arc reactor; I'll be needing them," the sadistic villain said with a grin as he bashed Steve in the chest repeatedly with his own shield before turning off the camera.

"Rogers doesn't deserve that kind of treatment, especially on the behalf of that despicable alcoholic… I'm going to find him myself," Bruce said as he rushed off of the bed and opened a hefty suitcase.

"You don't have your Batman suit, Master Wayne. It would be foolish to confront Nate in your average, everyday state," Alfred said, getting up from the chair, dropping the newspaper onto the black carpet in the process.

"Actually, I developed a suit that could fit into a large suitcase. It still has all of its gadgets; the only difference is that it is a thinner, more flexible material, similar to Captain America's suit," the playboy said with a straight face as he pulled the uniform out of the case.

"Did that idea come from Mister Stark's briefcase Iron Man suit by any chance?" the butler asked as he walked over to Bruce and stood next to him, admiring the businessman's handiwork.

"No," Bruce lied, annoyed by Alfred's ability to read him like a book.

"Why did you bring it with you, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked curiously, dropping the subject of the briefcase suit immediately.

"Because no matter where I go, there will always be villains lurking in the night to hurt innocent people. I may not be in Gotham City anymore, but I can still make a difference in New York City," Bruce said calmly, confident that he could rescue Steve from Nate's clutches.

**Note: Nate is an OC created by MayoAmor22, who this fic is being written for. **


	3. Chapter 3

Tony was relaxing in his tower, sitting on a couch in the living room enjoying his third glass of scotch when Steve confronted him about his behavior in the meeting.

"So, Tony, why do you feel the need to treat our guests like they're worthless? It really wasn't necessary over a little television performance," Steve said sternly with his arms crossed.

"Because no one gets away with being an asshole to me. You should know that. And you know something? I really don't appreciate you sticking up for him in that meeting…" Tony grumbled as he took a swig of the expensive drink.

"Well Bruce brought up some interesting points, and I wanted him to know that I was actually listening to what he was saying," Steve responded as he yanked the genius' scotch glass out of his hand.

"Give it back, that's my life force!" Tony whined as he got up off of the couch and reached for his drink, which Steve was holding beyond his reach.

"No, you've had enough. Now you need to think about the reason Bruce is here. Obviously the man wouldn't be here if this cause wasn't so important to him. It sounds like Gotham isn't doing very well, and he wants to help children and people down on their luck. CHILDREN, Tony. Now they're more important than a stupid fight over nothing. Now I want you to call him tonight and re-schedule the meeting. You talk about how much you give to causes, well then actually live up to it," the super-soldier chastised as he pulled Tony closer to him with his right hand, keeping the scotch glass in the air with his left hand.

"If he apologizes, then I'll have no problem with it," Tony responded before kissing his boyfriend, hoping to change the direction of the conversation to something sexual.

"There are times when your stubbornness is the hottest thing in the world, but this is definitely not one of them," Steve sighed as he pulled away from Tony's mouth.

"Come on, Steve. Let's just fuck and forget about this shit already. It's done, and I want a little Capsicle in me…" Tony growled seductively, wrapping his arms around Steve's waist.

"Sex may resolve fights for some people, but if you know anything about me it's the last thing that works on me… Now I'm going to go for a run, I really can't deal with your attitude right now," the super-soldier responded as he broke away from Tony and walked out of the living room, scotch in hand.

"Come on, Steve! You know I can't let him win!" the genius yelled out after Steve, who had rushed off to do a few laps around the block.

Tony, realizing that Steve wasn't going to respond, left the living room and rode the elevator down to his lab, hoping it would clear his mind. He locked the door and sat at his workbench, placing his hands underneath his chin.

_Like I'd ever help that piece of shit… He disrespected me and Iron Man! Whoever has a problem with me and the work I do can go fuck themselves, _Tony thought to himself, still angry over the incident.

"Jarvis, pull up every important news story and press conference Bruce Wayne has been involved in. I need to learn more about him," Tony commanded as he pulled up several screens in anticipation for the flood of information.

"Yes, sir," Jarvis answered as he spewed out tabs upon tabs of information about the businessman to the genius' delight.

For two hours, Tony skimmed through all of the newspaper articles and video clips about the Gotham billionaire, trying to learn as much as he could about the man who wanted his help. After examining Bruce's public behavior, he came to the startling realization that he and Bruce had a lot in common.

_Holy shit we are a lot alike… Except I'm far more attractive and have better taste in interior design. Well, he is pretty hot, I've got to give him that. Those cheekbones, his perfectly styled hair… Not to mention his ass, _Tony thought to himself, feeling himself growing hard as he pictured the businessman naked, begging for his dick.

Tony slowly pushed his right hand down his pants and gripped his throbbing hard cock, stroking it quickly and roughly. Tony imagined Bruce on his knees in front of him, taking his cock in between his thin-lipped mouth. He could almost feel the businessman's exploring tongue working its way in circles around the shaft and head of his cock teasingly, making him beg for release. The visual sent Tony over the edge and he came in his pants with a loud grown, surprised by how little time it took for him to get off.

_Hmm, maybe I should support the charity. Maybe I could convince him to suck my dick in return for a generous donation. Hell, maybe I could get him to let me fuck him for a million dollars… Steve wouldn't have to know, _the genius grinned devilishly at the thought as he wiped his hands off with a rag.

"Sir, you need to watch the local news, there is a breaking news story," Jarvis butted in as he switched the content on the screen to the current story.

Tony saw Steve chained up and bleeding with his head drooped down, appearing to be in a subway station. He was unconscious, and in front of him was Nate, who was calling out Tony and making demands in return for Steve's safety.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Steve goes out for a run and he gets captured! And this asshole wants me to bring blueprints of my arc reactor in exchange for him? Why couldn't he have just come for me directly!" Tony cried out, feeling a mixture of fear and anger at the thought of Steve tied up in an unfamiliar place with a sadistic, mentally unstable stranger.

"Sir, may I suggest making up a fake blueprint for your reactor? The man in the video appears to be of average intelligence, and I do not believe he would know the difference," the A.I. added, hoping to help the genius.

"Great idea, Jarvis! Now will you freeze the frame, please? I need to figure out where Steve is located. I never got around to injecting the tracking device under his skin," Tony asked as he quickly sketched up fake schematics of the reactor while Jarvis paused the video.

Tony finished the small print in fifteen minutes and swiftly turned his attention to the video, examining the surroundings in order to locate Steve. On the top right of the dirty, gray wall above Stee, he noticed a small heart with the initials "T.S and A.V" drawn inside of it with a sharpie marker.

_Weird… That looks a lot like my handwriting. Wait, that IS my writing! Oh yeah, I pretended to love that girl so I could get in her pants last year. That's in the old, abandoned part of the subway that's boarded up near Brooklyn_. _Why I took that girl there I'll never know… But thanks to my whorishness I'll be able to find Steve! _Tony thought to himself with a grin as he rushed to put on his Iron Man suit.

"I sure hope Stark finds you soon, Captain, otherwise I'm going to have to kill you," Nate said with a twisted smile as he doused cold, stagnant water on the super-soldier's body.

"He's going to get here before you know it," Steve said roughly, feeling chilled to the bone as the cold water poured down his body.

As soon as the words left Steve's lips, Tony came crashing through the ceiling, sending a blast of energy at the villain. Nate, quick on his feet, moved out of the way, avoiding every blast that Tony fired.

"I'm glad you showed up," the villain said with a smile before retreating quickly into the pitch-black darkness of the rest of the subway tunnel.

"Fuck you, son of a bitch!" Iron Man said angrily in his altered voice as he landed on the dirty cement floor in order to chase Nate down.

"Come and find me!" Nate yelled out, giggling hysterically as he did so.

Before Tony could find the villain, a green beam of energy surged towards the billionaire and struck the Iron Man suit, causing it to short-circuit. The energy pulsed through the suit and into the genius' body, paralyzing him from the neck down. Before Tony was able to process what was happening, he was on the cement ground on his back, completely unable to move.

"Do you like my gun? I stole a few things from S.H.I.E.L.D a while ago, and I managed to find this beauty. It was even designed just for you in case you got out of hand and they needed to take you out of battle. I even have the papers to prove it!" Nate howled madly as he waved a large, black gun with several barrels, each of which were lit up light neon green as smoke whisked through the air.

Nate carefully set the gun down, got onto his knees next to Tony and took the face-plate off of his mask, revealing an anxious, dazed billionaire.

"Now that you're where I want you to be, I can enact my plan! I didn't need the arc reactor schematics; I'm sure you were going to give me a bogus copy anyway. What I need is your suit…" Nate said with a toothy grin as he straddled Tony and placed his hands on the chest plate of the Iron Man suit.

The villain's appearance slowly began to change; his skin first became metallic and shiny, blinding Tony for a brief period. When he finally regained his ability to see clearly, there was another Iron Man sitting on top of him. He was completely baffled and at first thought that Nate had removed his suit. When Tony looked down, however, he noticed that the suit was still on his body; no parts were missing from the perfectly crafted metal.

"Wow, your suit looks great on me. I knew it would be the perfect look! The nice thing about being a metamorphic mutant is that I can be anyone and anything I want to be, even a machine like your incredible Iron Man. I'm going to hit the town tonight, make a little trouble. Your reputation will be ruined, and when I'm finished destroying any ounce of dignity you once had I'm going to slaughter Captain America with your own weapons… The effects of the beam will wear off by the time I get back, and you'll have to take the fall for everything that I've done. Your life is about to be turned upside down," Nate said quietly, never taking his piercing eyes off of Tony's.

The twisted mutant, flashing Tony one more wild grin, picked up the gun and whipped the genius in the face with it, knocking him out cold. Nate flew out of the dilapidated subway station, leaving Steve tied up in the bright region of the tunnel and Tony unconscious in the darkness, making the situation all the more grim.


	4. Chapter 4

"Before you go, Master Wayne, may I ask a question?" Alfred asked as they stood on the Stark Hotel rooftop.

"I don't have much time, Alfred…" Bruce said impatiently as he pushed a small button on the chest of his suit, causing the hands and feet of the suit to light up, albeit dimly.

"Did you use the thruster technology that Mister Stark developed so your suit could fly without other cumbersome devices?" the butler questioned with a grin, causing the businessman's frown to sink down farther on his face.

"Fine… Yes, yes I did! He has some good ideas, though his public policies sure aren't among them… But I added a cape, his suit doesn't even have one, so it obviously is my own design. Bye, Alfred, I have some rescuing to do," Batman huffed as he took off into the night sky.

_God I hate Stark so much… So what if he has great ideas and I've used them? He flaunts them to the public like it's no big deal, and if I'm intelligent enough to replicate them then who cares? I don't know why Alfred keeps pointing it out to me. Besides, I made sure that no one will be able to see me flying through the sky, unlike the Iron Man suit. Mine's lightweight, somewhat form-fitting, and if I press buttons on the chest of the suit my gadgets will spring into action with no waiting time, _Bruce rationalized to himself as he flew high into the sky, looking for signs of Nate's inhabitance within New York City.

He flew around for several minutes, unsure of where to really begin looking. Bruce didn't know the city well, and the only place he could think to look was near the subway stations littered throughout the metropolis.

_I really need to record Alfred's voice and create an electronic butler who can help me maneuver around cities. He could talk to me while I'm Batman… I'm a genius! I'm going to have to collaborate with someone when I return to Gotham City so I can create it. Maybe if Stark and I make amends he could help me out… Wait, he probably already has the technology. Damn that's more than likely true. I bet he catalogues all of his old one night stands with it and it gives him new sex moves to try on each of the poor women and men who find themselves in his bed… Stark does have a nice body, I'll give him that, and that's reason enough to sleep with him. And that look on his face when he's frustrated because he's not getting his way… It's kind of sexy when you think about it. Wait, what the hell am I thinking about? I'm STRAIGHT. Bruce Wayne does NOT like men, ESPECIALLY ones like Tony Stark! _Bruce chastised himself in his head, but the telltale signs of his attraction to the genius were already evident.

Bruce never tested the new Batman costume for its ability to hide erections, and as he looked down at the growing tent in the suit's groin he really wished that he had. He felt his face flush with heat, and he was frustrated with himself for fantasizing about the man who publicly displayed his Iron Man prowess. What bothered him more than anything was the fact that he was just going to have to live with having blue balls for the duration of his rescue mission.

While he was preoccupied with his growing problem, Batman instantly felt a heavy weight slam against his body, sending him spiraling down on a skyscraper roof. He caught himself before making impact with the stone roof and pushed a button on his chest, thrusting him back up into the air.

As Bruce regained composure, he noticed that Iron Man was hovering above him. The gold and red suit was a little slimmer than the businessman remembered it being, and it appeared to be made of a softer material. Before he could gain a closer look at the armor, a repulsor blast was fired at his chest, causing him to fly back several feet.

_Why is Stark attacking me? He should be diligently looking for Rogers… Unless he thinks I'm the attacker. I better take this down to the roof, I can probably gain a leg up on him there,_ Bruce thought to himself as he flew down onto the stone ground, landing with a hard "thud."

As Iron Man shot about another blast, Batman quickly rolled out of the way, resulting in a small explosion as chunks of stone rose up in the air. As the armored man quickly landed on the roof and confidently sauntered over to Bruce, the businessman clicked a button on his suit, releasing a thick, cloudy gas in the air. Bruce ran through the heavy smoke and tackled Iron Man to the ground, and attempted, unsuccessfully, to remove the mask.

"It's not removable!" Iron Man cried out in pain as he kicked Bruce in his not-adequately protected groin, causing him to slide off of the armored man.

"You'd think that the man behind Stark Industries would do a better job designing his su… Wait a second, that's not Stark's voice!" Bruce yelled out in shock as he held his hands protectively over his groin, which was throbbing in pain.

The Iron Man imposter did not respond; instead, he swiftly got up from the stone ground and picked up Batman by the throat. He threw him over the edge, sending Bruce falling down to the street dozens of feet below.

"It's not that easy to stop me," Batman said with a smirk as he pressed a small button on his chest, suspending him in mid-air.

He quickly turned on the jets in the costume's feet and took off after the man in the Iron Man suit, who was trying to escape from the businessman's line of sight. Batman let out a hearty, eerie laugh as he clicked a button on his wrist, releasing a small harpoon. He released it, and the weapon whizzed through the air so quickly that it made contact with the leg of the Iron Man suit with little warning. The sharp blade impaled the armor, causing the wearer to screech loudly in pain.

Before the imposter could fall to the streets and die splattered onto the concrete, Batman swept him up and threw him down onto the rooftop floor.

"You're not even Iron Man at all… You're a," Batman began to say, but he was quickly cut off when the imposter's hand covered his mouth.

"You got me, I'm a metamorphic. Now can you just bandage me up and we can all go on our merry ways?" Nate asked as he slowly returned to his tall, lean form.

"That would be too easy, Nate. I saw you on the television and I know you kidnapped Captain America. I'm here to get him back and return him to the safety of his loved ones," Bruce stated clearly as he took some rope from a pocket on his belt and tied up the villain's hands.

"I'm not going to do that, are you crazy?!" Nate exclaimed as he tried to wriggle free from Bruce's grasp, but to no avail.

"Yes you are. Here are your options: take me to Captain America or take me to Captain America," Batman stated bluntly as he pulled Nate up by his bound wrists, eliciting a small squeak from the villain.

"Well that doesn't give me any options you liar! Screw you, there's no way I'm telling you where they are!" Nate cried out in pain as Batman hooked him onto his belt and flew them both into the air.

"Oh, you have Mister Stark as well… If I were to let you go and I found him, which of course I will, then you'd be ruined. That man has more power than even the president, and I'm sure dealing with him in court would not be in your favor," Bruce taunted the villain, who was completely helpless and at the hero's mercy.

"Well I'm going to have to go to court now anyway if you take me in, so what does it matter?" Nate asked with a sigh, letting his body go limp as Batman continued to navigate through the New York City sky.

"Well, look at it this way. Tony has his own brand of justice, and his idea of court is someone known as The Hulk. Do you know who that is, or am I going to have to get him for you?" Bruce questioned as he did several flips in the air, making the mutant sick.

"Oh God! The Hulk! I didn't really think about him… Yeah I really don't want to die by Hulking. That would be terrible! My family wouldn't even know if it was me because I'd be a pulp! Okay, okay, please, I don't want to die like that! I'd rather rot in jail. I'll tell you where they are; just don't feed me to that green blob of terror!" Nate cried out before puking violently from a mixture of pain from his leg wound and dizziness from Batman's flips.

"Direct me where to go," Batman responded with a grin, relieved that his new suit was a success and that he single-handedly saved the Captain.

When Captain America and Iron Man woke up, they were still in the abandoned section of the subway station, but they were seated cozily on a remaining bench. Nate was hogtied in front of them, and his leg was bandaged up. As Tony looked around the room, he caught a glimpse of a man in a black cape flying out of the subway.

"Steve, I'm going to go follow that guy and see what the fuck just happened. Can you take care of this pathetic piece of shit for me?" Tony asked as he got up from the bench and kicked the mutant like a sack of potatoes.

"Of course, Tony. Just don't do anything stupid or kill anyone," Steve said with a relieved smile, thankful that they were safe and out of harm's way.

"When have I ever done anything stupid?" the genius teased as he pressed a kiss to the super-soldier's lips before taking off after the mysterious cape-wearing man.


End file.
